What is The Flavor Bible?
This past Christmas as I was listening to the litany of gifts my nephew had received, one stood out. I went right to the computer and ordered The Flavor Bible. This incredible book was written by a husband and wife, Karen Page, a journalist, and Andrew Dornenburg, a chef.
As big as a Bible, it is a key reference for anyone who is looking for flavorful, unique combinations. Eight years in the making, The Flavor Bible is a landmark book that is sure to inspire cooking innovations. Cuisine is undergoing a startling historic transformation: with the advent of the global availability of ingredients, dishes are no longer based on geography but on flavor. The Flavor Bible is a guide to hundreds of ingredients plus herbs, spices, and other seasonings that will allow you to coax the greatest possible flavor and pleasure from them. It was created by some of the best talent in the American food world. If you have the creative flair, you will not want to be without this book. This is what I consulted after my big mushroom purchase.
The book lists ingredients alphabetically. I went to “M” and found mushroom. It then lists other ingredients, spices, and herbs that complement mushrooms. Ingredients that are highly recommended are in bold. When asparagus under “A” came up, I said, “This is it.” I made a mouth-watering stir-fry with onion, asparagus, mushrooms, and cooked chicken. After adding a little tomato sauce and sprinkling on 2 tablespoons of grated hard cheese, I was set for a delicious, nutritious low-calorie dish.
Throughout the book are combinations that chef and cooking experts have written about. These will give you more ideas to try than you could ever put together yourself. Check this one out by Micheal Laiskonis, LE BERNARDIN (New York City). He writes, “Ginger is great on its own, but also works great with other flavors. It’s one of those ‘wake up’ flavors that you can hide beneath all sorts of other flavors. I think it works especially well with citrus. It works with passion fruit, coconut, banana, and other tropical flavors.” It also lists flavor affinities, for example, ginger + carrot + celery + garlic.
If you like experimenting with foods and flavors, you will love this book.
